Five questions with: Julie Hedge

2021 was quite the year for Julie Hedge, with the Birmingham-based PA winning the Lifetime Achievement Award at the West Midlands PA Forum Awards.

Julie works within our litigation and dispute resolution team and we recently caught up with her to discuss her career, the recognition, and what it means to her.?

Take us back to the start of your time with Shoosmiths – when did you join and what had your career entailed before that?

I joined Shoosmiths on 6 January 2020. I have had a varied career and my submission for the PA Awards filled five pages, so somehow, I have to condense my working career of more than 25 years!

I embarked on a legal career as a junior secretary with DLA Piper back in June 1994, where one of the partners - the late Jeremy Bowden - encouraged me to do my Legal Executive course.

This gave me the opportunity to become a paralegal in DLA Piper’s commercial litigation department in 1997, which is where I worked with current Shoosmiths colleagues Alex Bishop, Robin Webb and James Klein, when they were trainees.?

"That led me to Shoosmiths and the rest, as they say, is history!"

In 2000, I moved on to work for a smaller law firm, where I worked with another current Shoosmiths colleague, Lindsay Roberts. I moved onto ATS Euromaster in 2002, as a legal assistant to their Company Secretary/In-house General Counsel before transferring into health and safety and learning and development 10 years later.??

After 16 years of working in-house I wanted to get back into private practice, working in the city centre, and joined PwC as a training co-ordinator.?This was a very fulfilling role, but the travelling meant I missed family too much, and I joined Eversheds before crossing paths with Alex Bishop once more. That led me to Shoosmiths and the rest, as they say, is history!

How has the firm, your team, and individuals around you, supported you since joining Shoosmiths?

As soon as I met with Alex, it was like we had never been apart.?The reconnection was immediate, and it was clear that we still shared the same work ethic – a passion to work hard, strive for personal, team and firm success, and to make things happen.

I have, without doubt, flourished since I joined Shoosmiths. From the moment I walked through the door in January 2020, I felt like part of the furniture - this role has completed me.

"The collaborative working environment and the firm’s core values make me feel valued, empowered, and listened to."

It seems unfair to single out individuals because everyone I have worked with has been a great support, but special thanks must go to Louise Abbott, Tracy Peters, Mel Newton and Rosie Guthrie, together with the rest of the PAs – we all pulled together during the pandemic and some long-lasting friendships have been made.

Focusing on the award, what does it mean to you to be recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the West Midlands PA Awards?

Until I put pen to paper I never really, truly, believed that I was worthy to be nominated - let alone to make it to the final and win!??

However, when I posted my journey on LinkedIn I was overwhelmed by the support from past and present colleagues, and the positive impact I had on them and their careers.?

Those that I had worked with all seemed to say the same thing – that I was dependable, hard-working, always looking at ways to work smarter and more efficiently, and that I had supported them in their own career. They may have also mentioned my quick wit, humour, generosity, and camaraderie!

In all seriousness though, my award means a great deal to me personally as I have always struggled with low self-esteem and have never really seen my own value. It’s not just about me though, I want my award to give a positive message to the PA community to make them see their worth and value in the company they work for.

"PAs are an integral role of any business – we are a vital part of the jigsaw."

The awards triumph celebrated your work around mental health, your collaboration motto and the importance of PAs recognising the impact they have.??How important is it to you to make and difference and support others around you and have you always had that outlook?

I have struggled with depression during all of my working career. However, it was only when I worked in health and safety in or around 2010 that I started to speak up about my own personal battles in my inductions and made these training sessions a safe place to put ‘health’, not just safety, on the map. I became a mental health champion and proudly wear my green ribbon with pride.

"It is important to me to make a difference, have a positive impact on everyone I meet and support people, whether that is in their career or personal life."

Working with tyre technicians earlier in my career, they would nearly always de-value their role by saying ‘I am just a tyre technician’, and I strived to change this mindset – without them and their skills there would be no business.??

Unfortunately, this mindset is only too common with PAs, too - ‘I am just a PA’. PAs need to realise the integral role that they play, be given the opportunity to showcase their skillset and feel like they are part of a collaborative team; and that their hard work invariably leads to not only their own personal accomplishments, but team ones too.

Life is difficult, but it genuinely does become easier when we learn to support and encourage each other.

It looks as though you had a great time at the awards – generally how was the night, did you enjoy it and connecting with colleagues and friends – both new and old?

I won’t lie that I was extremely anxious about the night – I am an extrovert and introvert – and lockdown has only served to make me more of an introvert, so the thought of ditching my lounge wear for glitz and glam sent me into free fall.??

However, the night was amazing! The whole PA community was there for each other – it wasn’t competitive; everyone was rooting for each other. I made some new friends; connected with old friends from other law firms and legal recruitment and spent the night with my absolute rocks – Alex Bishop, Will Carr and Louise Abbott (pictured above).

It was a truly great night and inspiring to meet such wonderful PAs and getting Shoosmiths on the map.?

I remain indebted to Alex Bishop for nominating me and to the firm for accepting me for who I am and giving me the opportunity to flourish.